The Ministry of Internal Affairs says reports that law enforcement officers used force to make an innocent person confess to a crime in Dusheti are untrue.

The ministry was responding to information aired in a promo for a program on TV Pirveli, which claimed that police had allegedly beaten a 25-year-old man and threatened to plant drugs on him to force him to confess to a crime he had not committed, while the real perpetrator reportedly appeared at a police station two days later.

“MIA would like to respond to information disseminated in the promo of a TV Pirveli program concerning a stabbing incident in Dusheti Municipality.

“The information voiced in the promo, alleging that law enforcement officers used force to make an innocent person confess to a crime, does not correspond to reality,” the ministry said.

According to the MIA, a young man was stabbed with a bladed weapon in Dusheti Municipality in April. During the investigation, police stopped an intoxicated man approximately two kilometers from the crime scene and found a knife during a personal search.

The man was taken to a police station, where he confessed to committing the crime. He was subsequently detained as a defendant, while an examination of the seized knife was ordered and investigative measures continued.

The ministry said that the day after the stabbing, an acquaintance of the detained man appeared at the Dusheti Police Division and claimed that he had committed the crime himself. He also told investigators where the weapon used in the crime was located.

“Relevant investigative measures were also initiated against this person, including the necessary expert examinations,” the ministry said.

The MIA also denied reports that the initially detained man remained in custody despite an expert examination disproving his involvement.

According to the ministry, the relevant expert reports were issued in July 2026, including a biological examination, an examination of materials and items, and a medical examination of the injured person.

“Based on the expert examination of the weapon used in the crime - the knife - the second person was detained as a defendant pursuant to a court ruling,” the MIA said.

The ministry stressed that the initially detained individual was not subjected to violence, coercion or any other unlawful conduct by law enforcement officers during the investigation and procedural measures. According to the MIA, he cooperated with investigators, made no complaints against law enforcement officers and confirmed at trial that he had committed the crime.

“Based on these circumstances, criminal proceedings were initiated against him for providing false information. Subsequently, a plea agreement was reached between the parties, on the basis of which he left the penitentiary institution,” the ministry said.

The MIA also stated that the man initially refused the services of a lawyer, while an attorney began defending his interests only in June.